Process for producing imprinted paper



April- 10, 1928. 1,666,031 D. D. MADDEN PROCESS FOR PRODUCING IMPRINTED PAPER Filed Dec. 15, 1926 [*zvanior DAN/EL 0.1144005 47'7'0ENE7 Patented Apr. 10, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL D. MADDEN, 0F PORTLAND, OREGON, ASSIGNOR T0 PACIFIC NORTHWEST PAPER MILLS, INC., OF PORTLAND, OREGON, A CORPORATION OF OREGON.

PROCESS FOR PRODUCING IMPRINTED PAPER.

Application filed December 13, 1926. Serial No. 154,551.

This invention consists in a novel process for producing imprinted paper. The object of the invention is to produce a paper, preferably for use as a wrapping paper, having imprinted designs, characters or labels having plural tints, generally three tints, from a single coloring dye or liquid by a continuous operation with the designs appearing on both sides of the paper. VI

An apparatus suitable for carrying out the present method is shown and described in my co-pending application Serial Number 72,270. The product, that is the paper, is described and claimed in my co-pending application, Serial Number 76,807.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through an apparatus arranged for carrying out the present process; I

Figure 2 is a view of one side of the product and Figure 3 is a view of the opposite side of said product.

The apparatus herein disclosed comprises a tank 6 having standards 7 as guides for the movable rollers. In the lower portions of the standards is rotatably mounted a roller 9 of rubber or other yieldable material.

This roller is arranged at a level to be partially immersed in the dye. Above the first roller is a second roller 11 rotatably mounted, and a suitable spring 12 urges the upper roller against the lower roller. It will be noticed that the rollers contact at a level above the liquid. A suitable belt wheel operates the lower roller for the feed. Means 13 is also provided for changing the degree of pressure exerted by the spring 12. The upper roller 11 is recessed as at 15 to receive impression plates indicated at 16 and these plates are suitably held preferably as shown in my co-pending application, Serial No. 72.270 filed November 30th, 1925 for imprinting devices. This feature forms no part of the present invention except that the upper roller is provided with impression devices of the desired character fastened within the recesses and thus replaceable. The impression rolls are thus arranged so that the impression takes place while the web of material is above the level of the dye. A roll of paper is represented. at 20, a paper guide roller represented at 21, a second guide roller above the tank at 22. \Vithin the tank, a guide roll 25 is provided, and this roll is arranged to be below the liquid level and at a comparatively short distance from the impression rolls, so that comparatively short immersion is given to the web before it passes through the impression rolls. At a comparatively short distance forwardly of the 1mpress1on rolls is a second guide roll-3O also immersed, and the distance bedistance of these rolls from the second immersion guide. roll is substantially equal to that between the guide roll and the impression rolls. Another guide roll 33 is provided at a point beyond the wringer rolls and the web is thence carried to the calenders.

In operation the fluid 40 of selected color is placed in the tank and the paper 41 is passed around the rolls as shown, its course being indicated by arrows. The level of the liquid is below the lower surface of the impression roller 11. The imprint plates of this roll are cut or recessed, and the surface of the plate is ordinarily projected slightly beyond the surface of the roll as set forth in the application above referred to. The paper'is threaded over the guide rolls as shown and downwardly under the first immersion roll, then upwardly over the lower roll 9, downwardly beneath the second immersion roll and upwardly through the wringer rolls and outwardly around the terminal guide roll.

The plates cause the paper to be impressed with greater penetration of its fibre than the impression given by the adjacent surface of the roll, except where portions of the surfaces of the plates are depressed. This causes the surface about the late characters to become apparent in a dar er shade than that part of the paper subjected to the pressure of the roller surface only. The marginal space is provided about the plates and prevents pressure at that point. That portion of the paper, as also that portion above the characters, when the same are depressed,

thus remains without change from the color given by the bath which color is lighter than that produced by the plate surfaces or rollers.

The process is very economical. The pro-- 'duction'of three tints from a single coloring liquid simultaneously as the pa er passes continually through the print rolers is obtained and th process is extremely rapid. The paper is only immersed for that length of time necessary to give sufiicient satura tion for the purpose in hand and the length .of time of immersion is comparatively short 2 which is the same as that of .the bath, the

second shade 3 is a background cast about the label, character or design and the third shade 4 forms 'a body tint surrounding the design background and its margin, the margin as herein shownbeing also of the shade of the liquid. The paper passing through the bath absorbs liquid throughout its texture and then passes through the impression rollers, and after this impression is again immersed, to obtain an even spreadin of the 'dye. The portion of the paper w ich passes over the engraved or depressed design or characters as well as the depressed margin is indicated as being lighter in shade and this portion remains in shade like that of the bath. Where the plates 16 engage the paper the result is darker background tint 3. The remainder of the surface of the roller exerts a diminished pressure upon the paper and the result is an intermediate shade 4.

While I have illustrated in the drawings the characters Y X and the margin, these parts being indicated by the reference figure 2 as depressed and therefore causing little or no pressure on the paper, the background indicatedby the reference numeral 3 within the margin 2an'd surrounding the characters Y Xbeing the result of the greatest pressure produced by the surfaces of the plate 16 and the remainder of the surface of the paper indicated by reference numeral 4: resulting from the diminished pressure from the surface of the roller, this arrangement may obviously be varied without departing from my invention. If preferred, the surfaces that produce the characters and the margin may be caused to exert the greatest pressure. In other words, it is a mere matter of selection as to what degree of pressure is produced by the different parts of the roller surface.

I claim as my invention:

1. A process of producing a plurality of tints in paper from a dye of a single color which consists in immersing the paper in a liquid dye and directly thereafter passing the wet paper under pressure bet-ween impression rollers provided with printing designs, and then passingthe impressed paper as it leaves the rollers directly into and through the dye a second time.

2. A process of producing a plurality of tints in paper from a dye of a single color which consists in immersing the paper in a liquid dye and directly thereafter applying different degrees of pressure to diderent portions of the surface of the wet paper and then directly immersing the impressed paper in the same dye a second time.

3. A process of producing a plurality of tints in paper from a dye of a. single color which consists in immersing the paper in a liquid dye and directly thereafter passing the wet paper between impression rollers provided with printing designs that subject diderent portions of the paper to different degrees of pressure and then passing the impressed paper directly into and through the dye a second time. 1

4. A process of producing a plurality of tints in paper from a dye 'of a single color which consists in immersing the paper in a liquid dye and directly thereafter passing the wet paper under pressure between im pression rollers provided with printing designs; passing the impressed paper as it leaves the rollers directly into and through the dye a second time and then passing the paper as it leaves the dye between smooth surfaced wringer rollers.

5. The process of dyeing paper and simultaneously producing designs therein in different tints, all from the same dye, which consists in first immersing the paper in a quantity of dye, and then passing the wet paper directly from the dye between rotatable rollers a'nd lapplying difi'erent pressures to different parts of the sheet and then passing the paper as it leaves the rollers directly into and through the dye a second time, whereby the main body of the sheet is dyed with an even dye pressed into the fibers of the paper, and designs are produced on said sheet by subjecting portions of the paper to the dye without pressure, and applying to portions of the paper outlining the designs a heavier pressure than that which is applied to the body surface of the paper. 

